School Retirees Group Logs Thousands of Volunteer Hours

Members of the All Arizona School Retirees Association (AASRA), a non-profit group affiliated with the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), last year logged over 215,000 hours of volunteerism, serving in their neighborhoods in various capacities across the state.

The 2010 total number for reported hours was worth over $1.5 billion based on the current NRTA hourly rate.

Volunteer Opportunities

“Volunteering is something AASRA members take very seriously,” said Steve Poe, AASRA President. “It’s the fabric of our organization. We work hard to give back to our communities through various service activities including AARP’s Create the Good and by participating in AARP’s National Day of Service, which is usually held in September.”

The All Arizona School Retirees Association is comprised of retired school employees including former teachers, school principles, administrators, nurses, school bus drivers and custodians. Currently, there are 16 AASRA units in Arizona with a statewide membership of over 1200.

Last year AASRA members spent time volunteering at food banks, churches and hospitals. The organization’s members are also actively involved in community justice programs or with serving in local Rotary, Lions and Elks Clubs.

Poe says members of its Westside unit in Glendale alone donated over 66,000 hours to community service in 2010. “AASRA members have spent their working lives in the public school system and we have an affinity for helping others.”

Below is a list of the AASRA units across the state and the number of hours spent in volunteer service in their communities in 2010:

Phoenix/Scottsdale unit: 9,730 hours

Copper Center (Globe) unit: 6,276 hours

Pima County (Tucson) unit: 50,983 hours

East Valley unit: 12,627 hours

Pinal County (Casa Grande) unit: 6,192 hours

Graham/Greenlee (Safford) unit: 6,901 hours

Saguaro (Avondale) unit: 11,100 hours

Huachuca (Sierra Vista) unit: 11,142 hours

Tri-Point (Wickenburg) unit: 7,438 hours

Kachina (Sedona) unit: 9,555 hours

Westside (Phoenix) unit: 66,487 hours

Lost Dutchman (Apache Junction) unit: 2,958 hours

Mohave (Kingman) unit: 12,858 hours

Yuma County unit: 538 hours

San Pedro unit: 1123 hours

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